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a little preoccupied…

Thanks to those of you who’ve left comments which I’ve not yet acknowledged, including ones which wondered where I’d gone, and others glad that I’ve returned. I intend to respond to all in short order because I care what you think. Before I do, however, I hope you bear with me while I get some thoughts down in writing. They’ve been suppressed for too long, and my brain is about to burst under the pressure. I’ve fallen asleep at night only to awaken to an ongoing conversation in my head.

My husband’s returning from a business trip this evening, so I’ve not had him on hand all week to bounce thoughts back and forth. He must be relieved, since our conversations are usually lopsided. Me talking; him listening. Every now and then he’ll clear his throat. When he really gets into it, he’ll even mumble his agreement with something I’ve said. Hey! It’s worked for the better part of 41 years. So as they say “If it ain’t broke…”

Besides the mountain of chores that awaited me, I’ve been dealing with the recent health issues of my 3 cats. A while ago I mentioned that Juneau had gained too much weight. At 15 pounds, 6 ounces, he was pre-diabetic. Not wanting to face the probability of giving him insulin shots, my husband and I made a concerted effort to figure out how to feed him low-cal food apart from his litter mate Sitka, and our other cat, Sunkist. Both of them were underweight, so they remained on the food they’d all been eating until then.

Things were going fine until I mentioned in passing to the vet’s technician one day that Sunkist, a 16 year-old Persian howled at night. To my surprise the tech told me that my cat probably had high-blood pressure which, if not treated early, could result in blindness. Upon examining Sunkist the vet discovered that her blood pressure was 200! As with high blood pressure in humans, anything above 170 is cause for concern. To lower it I have to give her a pill once a day. In addition, I have to give her a quarter tablet of Pepcid AC because the vet feels Sunkist has a lot of stomach acid so that even the sight of food gets it churning. Because of this, she’ll refuse to eat. Giving pills to cats is no fun. Believe me! But I manage.

As Juneau and Sunkist finally settle into a routine of eating as they should, my third cat, Sitka, developed digestive issues. He was constipated which, of course, interfered with his eating. For those of you familiar with previous posts about my pets,Sitka’s the baby of the family, always wanting to be loved and held. Well it’s easy to know when he’s ill because he sits in a particular basket and doesn’t venture forth except to try and poop, unsuccessfully. So last week the vet had to set about helping Sitka relieve himself.

Since Sitka’s been home, about a week-and-a-half, I’ve had to figure out his diet. He needs to eat more to gain weight, but he also needs to keep his colon lubricated so as not to repeat bouts of constipation. Since he no longer eats with either Juneau or Sunkist,Sitka has become finicky about his food. The vet and I have decided that Sitka’s a social eater. He misses the company of his friends. They, meanwhile, are perfectly content to have their own food all to themselves.

The last couple of days I’ve separated all 3 cats during feeding time. And now because of Sitka’s social problem, I’ve had to give him an appetite stimulant. By golly! It did the trick. When I opened the door to the laundry room where I’d confined him, the dishes of wet and dry food were nearly vanquished. But I don’t look forward to giving him another quarter of the pill this evening so that he’ll eat his dinner.

I jokingly told the vet that he’ll have to hire me because I’m becoming an expert at pill-popping. He laughingly agreed. What with the recent bills for exams and medication, I’ll need a job just to maintain my cats. Gone are the days when, as a child, I’d take in stray cats and dogs and fed them whatever, and never took them to the vet. I don’t think I even knew about veterinarians then. At the time our family was so poor, my mom could barely afford for our family to see the doctor.

So you see, I’ve been somewhat preoccupied of late. But my cats and I are moving forward…

Thanks so much for visiting and leaving such a nice comment. I’ll look to passing along the “ice cream award” once I’ve regained my bearings after having taken a long break. Lots to catch up on at the moment. Hope you return… 🙂

Chittle-chattle lead me to your Blog and I’m glad that I did. Beautiful warm posts, full of life and inspiration. those two cats are adorable. I got so much to catch up, with so much to discover. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the “pat on the back,” Christine. Can definitely use it. Popping pills into my cats’ mouths is still not a “walk in the park.” They don’t like it, and neither do I.

Still trying to figure out Sitka’s eating. He ate well at the vet’s while we were away. That’s because he had little else to do in the cage, with the food bowl staring at him 24/7. Now that he’s home, he’s too busy with other distractions. We have to shut him in the laundry room to get him to eat. He’s okay with it, but I’m sure he’d rather dine with his brother, Juneau.

Being a mom, whether to a human or a feline, is not an easy undertaking. But the rewards…hugs and kisses…are well worth the effort. 🙂

I can sympathize with your plight. I have a 15 year old cat whose digest tract has slowed down and the muscles don’t move things along. Thankfully, his medicine comes in chewable treats which he gobbles right up. Kudos to you for mastering the delicate art of giving your cats pills!

Thanks for the empathy. I’m not crazy about popping pills into my cats’ mouthes. They’re still not use to it, and neither am I. I think we all dread the moment. What chewables do you give your cat? Perhaps I could see if my vet knows about them. I’d like to give them a try.